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In December, I went on a “social media hiatus.” It was originally intended to be a break from Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram distractions for the good of my finals week productivity, but about a week in, I decided to extend it for the entire month. I chose to journal every so often here to keep track of how I was feeling, and I made a surprising discovery in the process. Not only did I get an A in every class, but I improved my relationship in ways I didn’t think possible.

Day 1: I don’t feel quite deprived yet, since it took me almost an hour yesterday to turn off all the notifications on my phone from various apps, reorganize my folders so only the most important, work-relevant things were on my home page, and…create an adorable “unplugged” profile picture for Facebook and Instagram with my Phonto app. Oops.

Day 3: I’ve been pretty good about not checking any social media. But I am realizing how often the urge hits…and how ridiculous some of the things are that I want to Tweet about. For example, I had string cheese for the first time in several months, and felt the need to send a Tweet announcing this to the world (in less than 140 characters, of course). I realized that in the online world, we make a MUCH bigger deal out of things than they actually are.

Day 5: Aaaand, I relapsed. I logged onto Facebook to ask my friends for massage therapist recommendations because I twisted my back again (I trust people I know a lot more than random Yelp reviewers). The recommendation status wasn’t the problem…it’s the 20 minutes I spent on my newsfeed after I got an answer. But I’ve got a big paper rough draft due tomorrow, so I think I’ll be able to avoid it for the rest of the night.

Day 9: Finals are upon me, and I hardly have time for social media as it is. I’ve got three large final papers due in the next week, and a couple of presentations to boot. In past years, I’ve blocked social media to make it through finals week, but I don’t even need to block the sites to stay away these days. No time!

Day 13: Taking time off from homework tonight–it’s been a long week. I noticed this week how much my time off from social media has improved my communication with Nate. Not that we communicated poorly before, but in a long distance relationship, sometimes the frequency of contact is a point of contention. Now, if I have a unique encounter, see a funny internet picture, or read a thought-provoking article, I send it to Nate instead of posting it online. When it comes around to our evening phone call, we’ve got even more to talk about than usual.

Day 19: One paper down, and then computer problems. Had to write a paper in the car on the 16 hour drive from Kansas to Georgia. While I wish I wasn’t finishing finals while I’m trying to visit my family, I feel very focused. I haven’t been tempted to post photos online of our travels or my (adorable) nieces–but of course, I’ve been taking pictures! I figure I’ll gather them all up and post them in a lump after the trip. It’s kind of nice knowing I have that option and not feeling pressured to post immediately.

Day 23: Before bed, I usually check my social media sites and catch up on my phone games. These days…I’m chatting with Nate as I fall asleep. I love hearing his version of what we did that day and hearing him describe moments I didn’t notice. I’m loving all the time I’m getting with him this holiday break, and I think we’re both loving how much we’re connecting with each other, instead of social media.

Day 31: Guess what? On Day 24, Nate proposed! It was an absolute joy keeping the secret to ourselves until today. I almost didn’t want to post online about the engagement at all–it feels like suddenly, the whole world is invited into our relationship (which up until now, wasn’t even “Facebook official”). But, I have a healthy respect for how easy it is to quickly disseminate information to far-away friends via social media, and as long as it’s used responsibly. I loved reading the reactions of our friends who hadn’t heard the news over the phone, and I screen-shot the congratulatory wall-posts. There are ways to make this temporary form of communication more permanent, and I’m going to take advantage of them.

This month made me feel free. I stopped experiencing the overwhelming pressure to share that I did early in the month, and I started feeling the excitement of getting to share my day with Nate. Before the hiatus, our evening conversations would occasionally fall flat, and I couldn’t figure out why. I now realize it was because I had already shared my day online, and I wasn’t interested in retelling things to him. Now, he’s my go-to text message or phone call. That distance doesn’t seem as long when we connect more often throughout the day. I thought we had great communication before, but increasing the frequency of communication brought us even closer and taught us more about one another. I would absolutely encourage anyone (single or attached) to go on a social media break–and hold yourself to it! It’s challenging at first, but you might start to connect with your friends, family, or partner in a new, special way.

This weekend, I…celebrated a milestone (sort of) in my weight loss journey. At first, I got on the scale and thought I had reached my first milestone of 10 lbs down. Well, not quite. When I stepped on again, I learned I still have another .8 to lose. BUT, first thing this Monday morning, my supervisor at work told me I need to buy smaller clothes because my outfit is looking baggy! Some might not call that a compliment, but to me it definitely is. Today is about 9 weeks into my weight loss journey, and since I have been losing slower than most, I thought this saying wouldn’t hold true. I’d say that’s close enough! Now onto the next goal.

This weekend, I…babysat for one of my favorite families. Just had the little boy and the Great Dane, but this lovely couple has nine (yes, I said NINE) boys (yes, I said all BOYS). They are a blended family making it work and balancing a lot of different schedules, and I am inspired by their faith and their dedication to family every time I visit. I’m overnight babysitting for them in a couple of weeks (no, not all nine kids) so they can go to a wedding in Las Vegas! It will certainly be an adventure.

This weekend, I…got all caught up on Glee! Only problem is, I’ve rekindled my addiction. I don’t know what I’ll do if I miss an episode now! SO MANY THINGS ARE HAPPENING.

This weekend, I…recognized Daylight Savings Time, but my body did not. It was so hard to fall asleep last night, and even harder to wake up today! Alas, here I am.

Sorry I don’t have more to share this lovely Monday. My weekend was generally uninteresting. BUT, I’m on my way to Minnesota for a wedding on Saturday and Spring Break with Nate and my parents, so next week’s post should be chock full of pictures and fun! Until then, I’ll leave you with some more of my favorite motivational pictures!

This weekend, I…decided to start doing a weekend recap! I can’t take credit for the handy idea. It comes from three other lovely ladies. Please check out their links at the bottom of this post! I love the idea of doing a weekend recap. I’ve been sporadic about blogging due to my busy schedule, but I’d like to make it a regular hobby, and a weekend recap seems like the perfect way to make sure I post regularly.

This weekend, I…started off Saturday by meeting Laura for coffee. I was first inspired by her dedication to health, fitness, and her own weight loss journey, which she’s chronicled on her blog here. But now that we are blog/Twitter/Instagram buddies (and since enjoying some great conversation over coffee), I’ve learned so much more about her! She’s a strong, faith-minded, fashionable young married woman, and her adventures are certainly worth keeping up with!

This weekend, I…enjoyed Mexican food and shopping with our favorite couple friends! I wish Mr. Photographer could have beenthere. We love spending time with these two. They helped me pick out a new dress for a friend’s wedding in two weeks! Can’t believe March crept up on me so quickly. But it means our Spring Break trip to see my parents in Minnesota isn’t that far away! I can’t wait! I also met up with these two for a final weekend party at the Orange Leaf (frozen yogurt place) on Sunday evening. Yum!

Aren’t they a stylish pair?

New dress…I love that it’s so versatile! I plan on dressing it up and down often.

This weekend, I…started getting caught up on one of my favorite shows–Glee! I just started the most recent season. I know, I know, I’m way behind. But I always have class on the night it airs! Man, did it ever make for a wonderful day! Now, if I could tear myself away and focus on schoolwork… (Schoolwork? What’s that?)

This weekend, I…learned I am another pound closer to my weight loss goal. I’ve only lost 7 pounds since I started in January, but I keep reminding myself that each one of those counts! Sure, I’d like to be losing faster, but it’s nice to know that even when I “slip up,” I’m still slipping up within reason, and I’m still losing weight, slowly but surely. Gotta keep my eye on the prize!

This weekend, I…celebrated (from afar) one and a half years with the love of my life. While I wish we could have been together, he always manages to make me feel like he’s never more than an arm’s length away.

And there we have it! I have a feeling next weekend won’t be quite so eventful…more like working ahead on homework so I can actually enjoy our Spring Break trip!

What are you looking forward to?

P.S. Don’t forget to check out the beautiful blogs of my first ever link-up buddies! Thanks for the idea, ladies!

A few posts back, I wrote about some of the benefits of long-distance relationships. You learn so much and come to appreciate one another in a wonderful way. But I would be remiss if I didn’t let myself have a pity party once in awhile, and as he prepared to leave tonight and drove away, I found myself desperate for him to stay and just be “normal” for a little bit longer.

One of the hardest things about living alone in a strange place is the lack of human contact. As I said in a previous post, when I walk in my apartment after a goodbye, I am suddenly overwhelmed with a sense of “too quiet, too empty, too lonely” (if you know me, this is rough going!). I can go several days at a time with minimal conversation, just because of the nature of my lifestyle. I know I can go out and about, but what I miss the most are the gentle moments of a hand on my face, laughter from the other room, the presence of someone I love next to me on the couch.

In light of all these fresh feelings, I thought I would compose a brief list of things one can enjoy when sharing time with a loved one–things that I especially miss when we are apart. I hope you will find your significant other and take a moment to appreciate the following things:

Calling out “I love you” from another room and hearing them call back.

Holding hands in the car.

Shutting the front door behind you and sitting down to relax instead of packing up their things.

Watching shows together and high-fiving at all the best jokes.

Having someone to help with cooking, the dishes, taking the trash out, etc…. 🙂

Getting a back rub and calming words when you are sleepless from insomnia.

This list could go on forever! I know that we are blessed to live in the 21st century, and we take advantage of all the communicative technology available to us as often as possible. But nothing will ever compare to having someone next to you when that’s all you’d need to feel a little better.

Thanks for putting up with my brief pity-party! What things do you appreciate most about your significant other?

Happy New Year!

Wow. My first semester of grad school brought with it a ton of crazy adventures. And by crazy, I mean exciting, frustrating, challenging, emotional, and educational…not the same kind of crazy you might be thinking. I didn’t post very much, mostly because I didn’t have the energy and I was focusing so much attention on getting the most out of my job and searching for a new one for next year.

I just can’t hold it in: I have to announce that starting in August, I’ll be working at Baker University as an Area Coordinator/Graduate Assistant for Student Activities & Community Service! Baker is a small, liberal arts school about 15 minutes south of KU. I am SO EXCITED about this opportunity. Making the move to a small school now is going to be a great fit, and really get me the experiences I need to apply to similar institutions for after graduation. That is such a strange thought…a year from now I’ll be looking into post-graduation jobs. I know that Baker is the right place for me at this point in my career and schooling. For now, I’ll keep throwing my energy into making the last semester of our freshman scholar program the best it can be, while looking forward to what’s to come.

I’m also in the process of applying for summer internships. No official news yet, but fingers crossed!

Now that (some of) my ducks are in a row as far as work is concerned, I’ve really decided to make 2013 a year to work on myself. This is the last full calendar year I’ll have being a student, and even when I go back for my PhD I’ll be working full time and balancing family. So I figure before I “grow up” once and for all and focus more energy on my loved ones, I’m going to try really hard to get myself in good mental, physical, and spiritual health. Really, “working on myself” is a job that should never be finished, because I know I’ll be a different person each new day until my last. But I’m blessed to have the time, energy, and resources at this point in my life to make it my number one priority, and that’s my goal.

I talked about “mindfulness” in my holiday post. That’s part one of my journey. Part two of my journey is physical health. I have joined myfitnesspal.com and started logging my meals and snacks (if you’re on there, add me! Username: lauraejacob). It’s amazing how little I knew before I started about the nutritional content (or lack thereof) of what I put in my body. The site also includes a feature where you can input your exercise for the day, and it adjusts your calories so you can still lose weight, but fuel your body enough to work out. Using the university rec center (I pay for it in my student fees, why wasn’t I using it before?) and my trusty Biggest Loser DVDs at home, I have been working out at least 5 days a week. I have a great support system of fellow grad students and friends, and we all help to hold each other accountable.

It’s a choice to stay unhealthy, and it’s a choice to be healthy. Why wouldn’t I make the choice that has benefits for me? When life is feeling out of control, the one thing I have complete control over is my health. Along the lines of being mindful, I hope that proclaiming my goals for the world to hear is going to hold me more accountable. I have a lot of good reasons to be healthy, and here are some of them:

I’m young. I am energetic. But I don’t have a body that allows me to express that. I want to have a family and not only be able to keep up with my kids, but instill in them the values of health and fitness. I can’t do that if I don’t make it a priority myself! Now is the best time to start, because I’ve got a lot of years ahead of me! If I get healthy now, I might have even more years ahead of me. My key word has been: lifestyle. This is not a diet, phase, health kick, or resolution. It’s a commitment to a lifestyle that I will maintain for life.

Okay, call it superficial, but it’s motivation: I want to wear all of the cutest clothes! For me, it’s all about confidence. It’s rough waking up each morning and hating what I see in the mirror. Nothing seems to fit right, and I can’t shop online and just assume that I will fit into the clothes I like. If I can continue to reach the goals I set for myself through the end of this year: shopping spree for a new, size-appropriate wardrobe!

2013 is going to be a big year. Starting my second year of grad school, a new job, and–fingers crossed–getting engaged to the love of my life. When I show my engagement (and later, wedding) pictures off 20, 30, 60 years from now, I want to look like the best version of myself. I want to be proud of how I look and the journey I started this year. No more bad photos!

Day to day health. People in healthier bodies, with healthier habits, get sick less. Already, I’ve experienced some of the health benefits of working out and eating right: better sleep, a quicker recovery time from that cold I thought I was getting, not getting as winded walking up the massive hill upon which KU sits. I feel like an ex-smoker…the health benefits will only keep coming, if I just work for them!

So there you have it. Some of my goals for my journey! Along with the many other things I’m working on this year, I’ll keep you updated on my progress. Don’t be afraid to ream me out if I say I’m not going to the gym, or if I try and justify eating something unhealthy! I can take it. 🙂

Tell me: what are you going to do this year to put yourself first? Do you have something that’s motivating you to get healthy? Remember: the hardest part of the journey is taking the first step.